Objective "MicroDegrade aims to reveal bottlenecks of degradation, and to identify superior bioremediation strategies for a most notorious environmental pollution of our time: chemical micropollutants at low (sub-ug/L) concentrations. Finding out why micropollutants occur in ground and surface water despite the presence of bacterial degraders has become an elusive goal for microbiologists, environmental scientists and geochemists. Competing paradigms claim that either (i) mass transfer limitations (bioavailability, cell uptake) or (ii) physiological limitations (enzyme down-regulation) prevent complete biodegradation at contaminant threshold concentrations. To design strategies for remediation, insight is warranted which bottlenecks of degradation prevail. ""Do molecules - once inside an organism - get out into solution again? Or is mass transfer so limiting that organisms are desperate for supply?"" Pillaring on our recent advances with compound-specific isotope analysis at sub-ug/L concentrations, MicroDegrade will be able to provide a revolutionary angle on this dilemma. Isotope fractionation will give the first direct answers to these questions for degradation of two prominent pollutants at low bacterial growth and low concentrations - 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), a highly recalcitrant, ubiquitous pesticide metabolite with Aminbacter MSH1; and toluene, an abundant groundwater pollutant with Geobacter metallireducens. The approach pillars on three consecutive aims: (1) investigate if, and at what concentrations mass transfer becomes limiting in chemostat cultures; (2) understand analogous limitations in concentrations gradients of an aquifer model; (3) derive superior bioremediation strategies. The objectives of MicroDegrade have the potential to change our view on drivers behind thresholds values and bottlenecks of degradation, to offer a new angle on competitive strategies of microorganisms at low concentrations, and to identify superior future bioremediation strategies." Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologyengineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybioremediationnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollutionnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-CG-2013-PE10 - ERC Consolidator Grant - Earth System Science Call for proposal ERC-2013-CoG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-CG - ERC Consolidator Grants Host institution HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH EU contribution € 1 962 630,00 Address INGOLSTADTER LANDSTRASSE 1 85764 Neuherberg Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Landkreis Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Jürgen Ertel (Dr.) Principal investigator Martin Elsner (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH Germany EU contribution € 1 962 630,00 Address INGOLSTADTER LANDSTRASSE 1 85764 Neuherberg See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Landkreis Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Jürgen Ertel (Dr.) Principal investigator Martin Elsner (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
